Civitanova demolished Verona and back to DelMonte®SuperCoppa Final!
5 min read
Cucine Lube Civitanova are back in the Del Monte Supercoppa final, a stage they had not reached since the 2023 edition, despite tomorrow’s match marking their 13th appearance in the season-opening trophy’s final.
In the second semifinal, the Marche-based side had a relatively comfortable time against Rana Verona, who were penalized by several absences.
Giampaolo Medei’s side controlled Saturday evening’s second semifinal from the opening exchanges, winning 25:18, 25:13 and 25:19 to book a meeting with Sir Susa Scai Perugia in Sunday’s showdown.
The result confirmed Civitanova’s excellent start to the season.
The team, in fact, arrived in Parma unbeaten after winning all five of their opening SuperLega matches, and they carried that momentum into the first major knockout test of the campaign. Verona, meanwhile, had recorded two victories and three defeats in the league’s opening five rounds and were still searching for consistency in attack and from the service line.
The teams had already met in the opening round of the regular season, when the Lube also came away with a convincing victory. This time, however, the stakes were considerably higher: a place in the first trophy final of the season was on the line, and Civitanova left little room for doubt about their ambitions.
Civitanova made their intentions clear immediately. Simeon Nikolov put Verona under pressure with an outstanding serving rotation, helping Civitanova race into a 7–0 lead. The Lube combined aggressive serving with disciplined blocking, while Aleksandar Nikolov quickly became the main attacking reference. Verona tried to close the gap and briefly reduced the deficit, but the visitors maintained control. Mattia Bottolo eventually converted the set point, giving Civitanova a 25–18 opening win.
The second set was even more one-sided. Verona struggled to find solutions against the Lube’s serve and defensive organisation, while Civitanova continued to score from several positions.
Mattia Bottolo and Simeon Nikolov added further pressure from the service line, with Nikolov producing two consecutive aces during the run that stretched the advantage. Aleksandar Nikolov also contributed from the back row, and the gap continued to grow. Antonin Klimes eventually closed the set at 25–13, leaving Verona with a mountain to climb.
Fabio Soli attempted to change the rhythm of the match, making adjustments and giving Anders Mol and Lukas Glatz opportunities, but Civitanova remained firmly in command. The third set was more competitive in its early stages, with Verona finding a few more attacking solutions. Bottolo, however, helped Civitanova regain control, while Aleksandar Nikolov continued to punish the opposition from both the front and back row. Civitanova moved clear again, and although Verona managed to produce some late resistance, there was no real threat to the rivals’ advantage.
With Maksym Tonkonoh on court, the Ukrainian opposite finished the match with a winning attack from position two: 25–19 and 3–0.
The numbers underline the extent of Civitanova’s superiority. The Lube scored nine aces against Verona’s one, an especially significant difference in a match in which their serving pressure repeatedly disrupted the home side’s reception and attacking construction. Civitanova also finished with a 58% attacking success rate compared with Verona’s 35%, while winning the blocking battle 4–3. The match lasted just 73 minutes, with the three sets taking 26, 21 and 26 minutes respectively.
Aleksandar Nikolov was the leading scorer with 16 points, finishing with 56% attacking efficiency. Bottolo added 12 points and was another key figure in the Civitanova’s offensive performance, while Eric Loeppky contributed nine. Simeon Nikolov scored five, with Klimes adding three.
For Verona, Noumory Keita finished with seven points, followed by Buchegger with six and Mol with five. The home side’s attacking difficulties were particularly evident against a Civitanova team that maintained pressure throughout the match.
After the game, Lube captain Fabio Balaso highlighted the importance of the serving performance and the work behind the block. “It was a great performance by the Lube tonight. We put them under pressure with our serve from the very beginning because we have some really important serving rotations. We also did an excellent job in the block-defence connection,” he said.
Anders Mol acknowledged the quality of the opposition while insisting that Verona must keep working rather than allow the defeat to derail their season. “Civitanova played a great match; they are a great team. We could have done something more tonight, but the season is long. We need to be patient and keep working in training,” the Norwegian player commented.
For Verona, the defeat also came in the context of an incomplete squad.
The team were without captain and outside hitter Rok Možič, who was unavailable through illness, while setter Micah Christenson and middle blocker Lorenzo Cortesia were also missing. The absence of Christenson was particularly significant in a match where Verona struggled to establish an effective attacking rhythm. Marco Vitelli and Simone Anzani, both former Lube players, were among those called upon to face their former club.
Civitanova now turn their attention to the final, where they will face Perugia on Sunday, November 15, at 18:00 at the PalaRaschi. The Umbrian side reached the decisive match earlier in the day with a 3–1 victory over Itas Trentino, setting up a meeting between two of the strongest teams in the opening weeks of the SuperLega season.
The final will also bring an interesting historical dimension.
It will be the 79th meeting between the clubs, with Perugia leading the head-to-head record 42–36 after 78 previous encounters. Their Supercoppa history has also favoured the Umbrian side, who have won five of their six meetings in the competition, including four finals. Civitanova will therefore have the opportunity not only to claim the first trophy of the season, but also to challenge a particularly strong recent record held by their opponents.
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🏆| DelMonte®SuperCoppa 2026/27 | SEMIFINALS 📍PalaRaschi Parma
Saturday November 14, 2026
• 15.30 (Local Time) | Sir Susa Scai Perugia – Itas Trentino 3-1 (22:25, 25:20, 25:18, 30:28)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
👉🏼 18.00 (Local Time) | Rana Verona – Cucine Lube Civitanova 0-3 (18:25, 13:25, 19:25)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
Rana Verona: Motta Paes 2, Keita 7, Vitelli 1, Buchegger 6, Sani 1, Anzani 3, Zingel 1, Scanferla 0, Staforini (L), Mol 5, Glatz 3. N.E. Christenson, Veletskyi. Coach. Soli.
Cucine Lube Civitanova: Nikolov S. 5, Bottolo 12, Klimes 3, Nikolov A. 16, Loeppky 9, Gargiulo 4, Bisotto 0, Balaso (L), Howe 0, Tonkonoh 1. N.E. Polo, Kujundzic, Gatto, Zoppellari. Coach. Medei.
FINAL 📍PalaRaschi Parma
Sunday November 15, 2026
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Sir Susa Scai Perugia – Cucine Lube Civitanova 3-2 (21:25, 22:25, 25:22, 25:22, 15:13)
📸| PHOTOGALLERY OF THE MATCH
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